Writing By Khadijah Aliyu ;Editing By Godwin Duru
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 708 stranded Nigerians evacuated from Niamey, Niger Republic.
The returnees arrived at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, where they were received and profiled by officials.
Speaking to journalists, the Head of Operations at NEMA’s Kano Office, Dr Nura Abdullahi, said the returnees included 292 male adults and children, and 416 female adults and children from states such as Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Benue, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kogi, and Niger.
He explained that the evacuation was coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria, adding that the returnees had been provided with food, temporary shelter, and relief materials.
“They have been given blankets, mosquito nets, and dignity kits containing toiletries, wrappers, sanitary pads, and other essentials,”
Medical personnel from the Nigerian Red Cross Society were also on ground to attend to the sick, while severe cases would be referred to appropriate health facilities.
He urged Nigerian youths to avoid risking their lives by travelling abroad in search of better opportunities.
Also speaking, Kano Field Coordinator of the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Hajiya Luba Liman, described the evacuation as a “whole-of-government approach.”
She noted that the exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Niamey and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasizing that the return was voluntary.
“This is a voluntary return. Many of them could not afford to come back on their own, so the government arranged for their evacuation,” she said.
One of the returnees, Malam Kamalu Abdullahi, recounted how violence forced him to flee after 12 years in Niamey.
“I woke up hearing people shouting ‘fire, fire.’ My house and those of other Nigerians were set ablaze. When I came out, I was attacked and told to leave the country,” he said, adding that he would not return to Niger.
Another returnee, Rabi’a Inusa, said she travelled to Niamey due to family challenges but endured hardship.
“I was sleeping on the streets. I spent over N100,000 on transport to Niamey and returned with nothing,” she said.
Many of the returnees, mostly women and children, appeared distressed and unkempt on arrival.
Officials from NEMA, NCFRMI, Kano State Emergency Management Agency, and the Nigeria Immigration Service were present to receive the evacuees.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
